Co-Pilots
by penguinluv129
Summary: Della needs some space. So she asks Launchpad to take her out for some fresh air. Delpad. One-Shot. DT17


Della hastily entered the garage and slammed the door behind her. "Why can't they just leave me alone!" She huffed and crosses her arms, leaning into the door.

"Oh, Hi there Mrs. Dee!" Launchpad lay on the couch, watching T.V. He waved at her and smiled.

 _Oh crap. Launchpad lives in the garage. Gotta remember that._

She stared at his muscles through his t-shirt.

 _Dang, he's built._

"Its _Miss._ I'm not married." She put her hands in her pocket and walked over to him. Her cheeks grew hotter the longer she stared at him. "And you can call me Della."

"Okay, Miss Della!" He turned his attention back to the T.V. Della smirked and looked at the screen.

"Darkwing Duck?"

"Mmhmm."

"Good show. Although I always thought he could've used a sidekick." Della shrugged.

"DW doesn't need a sidekick. He's Darkwing Duck. He's the best hero ever!" Launchpad said.

"So you wouldn't wanna be his sidekick?" She winked at him.

"Oh, I would. I would love, love, _love_ to be his sidekick." Launchpad's eyes sparkled.

Della smiled. "Same here-"

"Della? Where are you?" Scrooge called through the house.

 _Crap!_

"H-hey, Launchpad, you mind helping me out real quick?" Della asked, flustered.

"Sure thing, Miss Della." Launchpad smiled. "Whatcha need?"

* * *

Della sat on the hood of the limo, watching the airplane hangar below. Planes landed and departed into the sunset. She smiled while watching them take off.

 _Finally, some alone time._

"So… why did you want to get out of the house?" Launchpad asked, closing the door.

"I just…I just needed to get out." She sighed. "Everyone's gotten a bit crazy now that I'm back. It's kinda exhausting, y'know?" She looked at him.

He stood next to the door, staring at her. His eyes sparkled at her. "Are you gonna just stand there and watch me?"

"Oh, no!" He covered his eyes, a blush forming on his cheeks. "Sorry I won't look at you. I'll just…" Launchpad opened the car door and bent down to enter the limo. He banged his head on the frame.

Della snorted. "Are…are you okay?" She said between laughs.

"I'm sorry, its just that I was told by Donald to 'not think about you.' Or I might get fired." Launchpad rubbed his head and closed the car door. He went over to the hood of the car and leaned on it.

 _Ugh, Donald. What are you doing?_

"Let me see it." She crawled over to him.

"No!" He jerked away. "Then I'll think about you!"

"And how are you not thinking about me right now?" Della stood on her knees atop of the hood of the limo. She raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"What do you mean?"

"Well if you aren't trying to think of me, then technically you are thinking of me, because you are consciously trying to not think of me. Get it?"

Launchpad's face froze in confusion. "Whaa?"

Della rolled her eyes and pulled his jacket, dragging him towards her. "Let me see it."

She pushed back his hat and brushed his ginger hair to the side. She put his head in her small hands and looked at the small red bump that was starting to form.

"You'll be fine. Maybe a small bruise." She looked at Launchpad's face. His face had a star-struck look. His cheeks were bright pink.

 _Why is he looking at me like that?_

"Um... Miss Della?"

 _It's just "Della."_

"What is it?"

"You're really pretty." He said, his eyes hyper focused on her face.

 _No. Not again._

Della's cheeks went pink. She pulled back from him and sat cross-legged on the hood of the car. "Thank you." She looked down at the planes in the hangar. "But please don't say that again."

"Why?" Launchpad got up and sat next to her on the hood. "You're pretty. And smart. And brave. And you don't crash-"

"Launchpad, just…promise you won't call me pretty again." She wrapped her arms around herself, holding her waist.

"Okay, Miss Della."

She chuckled. "I told you, its just Della."

"Okay, Della."

 _Hhnnngg…how he says my name…it sounds_

She bit her lip and watched as a stunt plane landed. The pilot in the plane hopped out and ran to a woman. They embraced and shared a passionate kiss. Della groaned.

 _Great. Just what I need-_

"Awww…that's so sweet." Launchpad smiled.

Della looked at him from the corner of her eye. Tears were forming in his eyes.

 _Yeah, yeah…its cute-_

"Oh, Della! Look! They have a kid!" Launchpad tugged at her jacket and pointed down below. A small toddler ran up from the hangar and to the pilot. He picked up the kid in his arms and threw him on his shoulders.

"Hey speaking of kids, I, uh…wanted to ask a question."

"Uh, go ahead." Della shrugged. "You can ask me anything-"

"Who's the boys' dad?" Launchpad asked.

Della's eyes went wide as she sat there, frozen.

 _Their… dad?_

"You don't have to answer, I just… was curious." He shrugged. "Like now that we've found the mom, are we gonna find the dad? Does their dad know you were gone? Is he gonna show up sometime soon? Because I really li-"

"No."

"What-"

"Their father is gone. He's not in the picture." Della sighed. "He didn't want to be."

 _He didn't want me._

Launchpad scooted over closer to Della. "I mean, that's fine. You're a strong woman. And Donald did a good job raising the boys."

Della leaned in close to Launchpad and rested her head in his chest. "Yeah. He did a good job." Della felt Launchpad shiver. "Are you cold?"

She looked up at him. His face was bright red. He was staring straight ahead, his body trembling.

"Miss Della?" He stammered.

"I told you to just call me Della."

"Della, can you not rest your head on my chest? I feel kinda…uncomfortable."

"Oh!" Della scooted away from him. "Is that better?"

"Mmhmm." Launchpad crossed his legs and stared at the planes down below, his face still red. His hands were pressed down against his legs.

 _Oh my God. I'm an idiot._

"You…you like me. Don't you?" Della asked. "You like me a lot."

Launchpad whimpered and nodded.

"When did you-"

"When I first saw you." He spat out quickly. "In a picture."

"When did you-"

"Dewey and Webby had pictures of you. When they were trying to find you." Launchpad smiled. "You're very pre- Oh, wait. I can't say that."

"It's fine. You can say it."

"But you asked me not to." He said, looking at her with curiosity. "Why wouldn't you-"

"It's because _he_ said it to me. All the time." Della said, her voice cold. "Their father."

"Oh." Launchpad stretched out his legs. "I didn't mean to bring it back up-"

"It's fine. The jerk got what he deserved." Della scoffed and looked up at the cotton candy colored sky of dusk.

"What…um, never mind. I don't want you to talk about it if it makes you sad." Launchpad said.

 _God, why does he have to be so nice?_

Della sighed. "Well someone oughta know. Might as well be someone who won't try to lecture me about it." She looked out at the planes being stored in the hangar as the sun set.

"I was the other girl." Della's voice cracked.

"The what?"

"He had a wife. He would visit here every now and then and…I didn't know. When I told him I was pregnant, he…" Della paused and took in a big gulp of air. "He left me."

"I'm so sorry." Launchpad said.

"It's fine."

"No it's not." He grabbed Della by the shoulders. "He hurt you. That isn't okay."

"Launchpad, it's fine. It was a long time ago."

"But he hurt you-"

"Yeah, and I ratted him out to his wife and she divorced him for all his money." She pushed him off of her.

Della chuckled. "Why am I even telling you this? You don't need my tragic backstory of how I got knocked up."

 _Why is he so easy to talk to?_

Launchpad's hand trembled as he reached out to her. She caught him from the corner of her eye and grabbed his hand. "You know, he used to tell me I was pretty. All the time."

"I mean, he's not wrong." Launchpad shrugged. "You're gorgeous."

 _Please stop complementing me. You're making it hard to not like you._

Della's cheeks went pink as she smiled. "Thank you."

She scooted next to him and rested her head on his arm. "Is this okay now?"

"Mmhmm." He shivered a bit as she closed her eyes and nuzzled her face deeper into his arm.

 _God...he even smells nice..._

"Um, Della?" He said his voice quivering.

"Mmhmm?" She opened her eyes slowly, the sunset slightly blinding her.

"I, um...uh, I-"

"You can use your words ya know." Della snickered.

 _Dang, he needs to stop being cute. ASAP._

"It's not a word. It's a _thing_." Launchpad squeezed her hand tighter. "I want to do a thing, and I don't think it's okay to do the thing after telling me that stuff."

"What, do you want to kiss me?" She chuckled.

 _God I wish._

"Yes!" He said, excitedly.

"Mc'scuse me now?" Della's face went red. Her body started trembling.

 _Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap! Crap!_

Della took her hand from him and jumped off the hood of the car.

"We should head back." She opened the limo door and jumped into the passenger seat. Launchpad followed suit and sat in the driver's seat. They sat in silence for a minute.

"So…we should head back?" Della asked.

"You said that earlier." He said, taking the keys and putting them in the ignition. And starting the engine.

"Right, totally. I totally just said said that."

 _Della you're an idiot._

They sat in silence for the entire ride home. Launchpad pulled up into the garage. He pressed the clicker to close the garage door.

"I'm surprised. You didn't crash." Della said.

"Yeah, well I wanted to impress you." He turned off the engine and put the keys in his pocket. He turned and reached for the door handle.

"Wait." Della grabbed his arm. Launchpad turned around and faced her.

 _I hope I don't regret this._

Della pulled his jacket collar and pressed his beak onto hers. Launchpad pulled her from her seat and into her arms, seating her on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her.

BEEEEEEEEEP

"Crap!" Della pushed him forward and back into his seat. "I am so sorry! I forgot about the horn, I didn't- I'm so impulsive, and I-"

"You did the thing." Launchpad said, stars in his eyes.

"I did, and I probably shouldn't." Della leaned back, mindful of the steering wheel.

"Look, I…am not gonna lie. I like you. A lot. You are very attractive, and very nice. You're super easy to talk to and I…" She looked at his face. He smiled at her, a blush on his cheeks forming. Della sighed.

"I just got back. I shouldn't be dating. I shouldn't be doing this with you. At least not this early." She groaned. "I don't need a boyfriend right now. This will just make things harder for the boys."

"It's bad timing." He looked down in disappointment.

Della nodded. She sat there on his lap, looking at the curve of his muscles underneath his jacket. She bit her lip.

 _This is really bad timing. But he's so much better than him…I deserve better…but should I really be doing this so soon?_

Launchpad reached over and touched her face, gently caressing the curve of her face. "So what do we do now?"

 _I don't know...I don't-_

Della saw the Darkwing Duck poster out of the corner of her eye.

 _I got it!_

"Launchpad. I want you to be my co-pilot." Della took his hand into hers.

"But I thought you said I can't be your boyfriend?"

"Yes, but you'd be my co-pilot. Like a sidekick, but equals." She said, reaching a hand to touch his face. "That way, I can still be around you, but we aren't dating."

 _Yet._

"Co-pilots..." A huge smile grew on Launchpad's face. "Wait, Does that mean we get to kiss?" He asked.

"Sometimes. As long as nobody knows." Della winked. "But we're sticking to kissing only. And no one can know. Got it?"

Launchpad nodded. She reached for the door handle. He put his hand over it.

"Wait."

"What?"

"Can we kiss a bit right now?" He asked.

Della smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Why the heck not."

* * *

 **A/N: Hey guys!**

 **I know I've written a Delpad before, but I wanted to take a more serious take on it and try to work on a bit more Launchpad. I'm trying to write different types of characters to get the feel of different tropes/mindsets. Hopefully I did a good job.**

 **I also wanted to kinda throw around an idea about HDL's dad. Like, we don't know crap, so we have sooooo much free space to write and come up with our own ideas. Feel free to let me know what you think happened to their dad. (I mean, who really cares though because Donald is #dadgoals already.)**

 **Please Favorite and Review if you liked it!**

 **Thank You!**

 **~Alex**


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